Dear Babs,
My friend said I should use a REALTOR when I go to sell my home, but I just don’t see the point. Why can’t I just sell it myself?
Sincerely,
Skeptical Seller
Dear Skeptical Seller,
While some do find success in selling their homes on their own, most people don’t have the time or energy to accomplish such a task. Also, statistics favor the use of a REALTOR. Realtor.com states, “Sellers who use a real estate professional make 16 percent more on the sale of their home, than do sellers who go it alone.“ Not to mention, you will be thankful you had a REALTOR on your side while trying to decipher the complexity and timing of a real estate transaction.
Your Friendly REALTOR,
Babs
If a 16% higher sales price isn’t enough to convince you, here are ten more great reasons to use a REALTOR, written by Elizabeth Weintraub, About.com Guide:
1. Education & Experience
You don’t need to know everything about buying and selling real estate if you hire a real estate professional who does. Henry Ford once said that when you hire people who are smarter than you are, it proves you are smarter than they are. The trick is to find the right person. For the most part, they all cost about the same. Why not hire a person with more education and experience than you? We’re all looking for more precious time in our lives, and hiring pros gives us that time.
2. Agents are Buffers
Agents take the spam out of your property showings and visits. If you’re a buyer of new homes, your agent will whip out her sword and keep the builder’s agents at bay, preventing them from biting or nipping at your heels. If you’re a seller, your agent will filter all those phone calls that lead to nowhere from lookie loos and try to induce serious buyers to immediately write an offer.
3. Neighborhood Knowledge
Agents either possess intimate knowledge or they know where to find the industry buzz about your neighborhood. They can identify comparable sales and hand these facts to you, in addition to pointing you in the direction where you can find more data on schools, crime or demographics. For example, you may know that a home down the street was on the market for $350,000, but an agent will know it had upgrades and sold at $285,000 after 65 days on the market and after twice falling out of escrow.
4. Price Guidance
Contrary to what some people believe, agents do not select prices for sellers or buyers. However, an agent will help to guide clients to make the right choices for themselves. If a listing is at 7%, for example, an agent has a 7% vested interest in the sale, but the client has a 93% interest. Selling agents will ask buyers to weigh all the data supplied to them and to choose a price. Then based on market supply, demand and the conditions, the agent will devise a negotiation strategy.
5. Market Conditions Information
Real estate agents can disclose market conditions, which will govern your selling or buying process. Many factors determine how you will proceed. Data such as the average per square foot cost of similar homes, median and average sales prices, average days on market and ratios of list-to-sold prices, among other criteria, will have a huge bearing on what you ultimately decide to do.
6. Professional Networking
Real estate agents network with other professionals, many of whom provide services that you will need to buy or sell. Due to legal liability, many agents will hesitate to recommend a certain individual or company over another, but they do know which vendors have a reputation for efficiency, competency and competitive pricing. Agents can, however, give you a list of references with whom they have worked and provide background information to help you make a wise selection.
7. Negotiation Skills & Confidentiality
Top producing agents negotiate well because, unlike most buyers and sellers, they can remove themselves from the emotional aspects of the transaction and because they are skilled. It’s part of their job description. Good agents are not messengers, delivering buyer’s offers to sellers and vice versa. They are professionals who are trained to present their client’s case in the best light and agree to hold client information confidential from competing interests.
8. Handling Volumes of Paperwork
One-page deposit receipts were prevalent in the early 1970s. Today’s purchase agreements run 10 pages or more. That does not include the federal- and state-mandated disclosures nor disclosures dictated by local custom. Most real estate files average thicknesses from one to three inches of paper. One tiny mistake or omission could land you in court or cost you thousands. In some states, lawyers handle the disclosures, thank goodness!
9. Answer Questions After Closing
Even the smoothest transactions that close without complications can come back to haunt. For example, taxing authorities that collect property tax assessments, doc stamps or transfer tax can fall months behind and mix up invoices, but one call to your agent can straighten out the confusion. Many questions can pop up that were overlooked in the excitement of closing. Good agents stand by ready to assist. Worthy and honest agents don’t leave you in the dust to fend for yourself.
10. Develop Relationships for Future Business
The basis for an agent’s success and continued career in real estate is referrals. Few agents would survive if their livelihood was dependent on consistently drumming up new business. This emphasis gives agents strong incentives to make certain clients are happy and satisfied. It also means that an agent who stays in the business will be there for you when you need to hire an agent again. Many will periodically mail market updates to you to keep you informed and to stay in touch.
______________________________________________________________
Kafalka is one of those words that defines itself. Like Chartreuse (the color is named after the aperitif and not the other way around), Kafalka seems like a good name for a color or an Atlantic sea fish. But any definition hearkens back to Kafalka View, the spectacular waterfront oasis in Portsmouth.
The cabana has a chef’s kitchen, there’s a hot tub and a saltwater pool. The landscaping features a dramatic nightscape created by over 137 lights.
If we keep going in this wonderful vein of food and entertaining, our Kafalka View tour takes us into the formal dining room, bar and smoking lounge.
Kafalka View is the kind of luxury estate that creates its own adjective, like Chartreuse and like a Waldorf Salad. I can see it now, “This property features a Kafalka View pool and kitchen” and “Let’s relax in the Kafalka View smoking lounge.”
This historic Victorian landmark is on the National Register. Originally settled in 1639, 
